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Draft Rumors: Cavs, Pacers, Jazz, Warriors, Suns, Bucks

June 16th, 2023 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers currently only hold a second-round pick (No. 49) in the 2023 NBA draft, but they’ve been exploring ways they might be able to move into the first round, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Sources tell Fedor that the Cavs have an “organizational desire” to trade up in the draft and have made calls to teams in the 20-30 range to determine what it would cost to move up.

As Fedor explains, there’s a belief that there will be some older prospects available in that range who might be ready to claim NBA rotation roles as rookies. Several of those players are wings, which would appeal to a Cleveland team that has been on the lookout for help at that spot for the last year. Fedor identifies UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez as one of several prospects who could intrigue the Cavaliers.

It may be tricky for the Cavaliers to put together a package capable of getting them into the first round, however. They dealt several future first-rounders away in last year’s Donovan Mitchell blockbuster and would probably only be able to offer second-rounders along with a player or two. Lamar Stevens, Cedi Osman, Dean Wade, and Ricky Rubio are among the Cavs players who could be moved, Fedor writes, but none of them are likely to have substantial value on the trade market.

Here are a few more draft-related rumors from around the league:

The Pacers and Jazz are among the teams with multiple first-round picks who are worth keeping an eye on as the draft nears, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. According to Fischer, rival teams continue to mention that Indiana is interest in packaging some combination of No. 26, No. 29, and No. 32 in order to move up. Utah has talked to teams about various trade scenarios involving the No. 9, No. 16, and No. 28 picks, Fischer adds.
Sources who spoke to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic believe the Warriors may be focused on landing an older, more experienced prospect at No. 19 after getting mixed results when investing in young lottery picks in recent years. Meanwhile, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer has heard that Golden State have some interest in trading down from No. 19 or out of the draft entirely.
Sources around the NBA have named the Suns and Bucks – in addition to the Cavaliers – as teams interested in trading up into the late-20s or early-30s to draft an NBA-ready player, Vecenie writes for The Athletic. Phoenix and Milwaukee would have to move up even further than Cleveland — their second-round picks are at No. 52 and No. 58, respectively.

Central Notes: Cunningham, Rupert, Griffin, Rubio

June 11th, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Arthur Hill

Cade Cunningham continues to make progress in his recovery from surgery for a stress fracture in his left shin, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes in a subscriber-only mailbag column. The Pistons haven’t given a recent indication of Cunningham’s status, but Sankofa states that he’s made numerous checks with people in the organization and the response Friday was that “he’s doing very well.”

Cunningham told reporters in April that he was pleased with his progress four months after the operation. He said he was running and taking jump shots and was hoping to start change-of-direction work soon. Sankofa is optimistic that Cunningham will be fully ready for the start of next season.

The 21-year-old guard will be an important part of Detroit’s plans to move into contention for a play-in spot. The top pick in the 2021 draft averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists as a rookie, but was limited to 12 games last season before opting for surgery.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Searching for versatile players to help improve their 29th-ranked defense, the Pacers hosted international prospects Rayan Rupert and Mojave King at a workout Saturday, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Both could still be available when Indiana makes its second pick of the first round at No. 26. “I love being switchable defensively with my wingspan,” said Rupert, who played in the Australian League this season. “Just bringing a lot of energy to my teammates. If I want to get minutes in the NBA next year and have a good career, it’s going to be because of my defense.”
At his introductory press conference this week, new Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said he’s thrilled to have a veteran like Terry Stotts on his staff, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Griffin indicated that he plans to rely heavily on advice from the former Trail Blazers head coach. “To get a guy like Terry is a home run,” Griffin said. “He brings unbelievable experience. Yes, he’s a mastermind on the offensive end, but he’s well versed. He brings a wealth of experience. He’s coached elite players in (Damian) Lillard and (CJ) McCollum. I don’t just see him as an offensive coach; he’s gonna be someone that I lean on.”
In a TV interview during the Spanish ACB semifinals, Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio was asked about recent comments that he hopes to finish his career in Europe, according to a Eurohoops report. “The idea when I left Europe to play in the NBA was to come back at some point,” said Rubio, who’s expected to represent Spain in the FIBA World Cup this summer. “I don’t know where I will be mentally and physically and if I will continue to play, but yes, my NBA days are coming to an end!”

Cavaliers Notes: Bickerstaff, Mitchell, Love, Draft

June 8th, 2023 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers were disappointed by their first-round playoff exit, but they never considered making a coaching change, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic writes in a mailbag column. President of basketball operations Koby Altman said in a post-playoff news conference that the organization remains committed to J.B. Bickerstaff, and Russo doesn’t believe next season should be considered “make or break” for him.

The Cavs continue to show progress under Bickerstaff, reaching the 51-win mark this season for the first time in six years. They also claimed the fourth seed and gained some valuable playoff experience for a roster that largely lacked it. In addition, Bickerstaff has strong support from his players, Russo adds.

“Since Day 1, I fell in love with the culture that they built here,” Ricky Rubio said. “I fell in love with how J.B. treats everybody, and it’s something that, that’s why I came back. And, of course, when you see results, you can look back and say, ‘Oh, I wish he could do this or that better.’ But at the end of the day, in the heat at the moment, it’s super hard to really see sometimes. And I think what he built here is something special. He’s a great locker room guy.”

There’s more from Cleveland:

Lauri Markkanen had a breakout season in Utah, but Russo doesn’t think the Cavaliers would have been better off by holding onto him, Ochai Agbaji, and the collection of draft picks they gave the Jazz in the Donovan Mitchell trade. She points out that Markkanen benefited from returning to his natural position of power forward in Utah, which wouldn’t have happened in Cleveland with Evan Mobley on the roster. She adds that having a superstar in Mitchell is more valuable than the various pieces that were surrendered to acquire him.
The Cavs’ buyout decision with Kevin Love looks worse than it actually was because of Miami’s run to the Finals and Cleveland’s playoff failure, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com states in a mailbag column. He notes that Bickerstaff removed Love from the rotation because he wasn’t producing and the team had other players who were more effective. Back and thumb injuries contributed to Love’s down season in Cleveland, but he only shot 30% from the field in his final 15 games with the Cavs and was frequently targeted on defense.
Holding just the 49th pick in this year’s draft, the Cavaliers had to be disappointed by seeing so many prospects decide to return to school, Fedor adds. Sources tell Fedor that Kentucky’s Chris Livingston will work out for the team next week, and a session has been scheduled with Eastern Michigan’s Emoni Bates. Fedor also hears that Cleveland invited Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson to work out, but he’ll probably turn it down because he believes he’ll be off the board by No. 49.

Ricky Rubio Hopes To Play In Europe Again

May 29th, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Arthur Hill

Ricky Rubio has at least one more season left on his contract with the Cavaliers, and he’s thinking about finishing his career in Spain once his NBA commitment is complete, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.

“I am starting to consider my return,” Rubio said in an appearance Sunday on the La Sotana podcast. “Going home. To Barcelona. Close to home.”

The 32-year-old guard is under contract for $6.1MM next season, but he has only a $4.25MM guarantee on his $6.4MM salary for 2024/25. Cleveland will have to terminate the contract by June of 2024 if the team decides not to pay him the full amount.

Rubio had a limited role for the Cavs this season after his year-long rehab following an ACL tear. He wasn’t able to play until January and then appeared in 33 games, averaging 5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 17.2 minutes per night.

Rubio was a star in Europe for six years before coming to the NBA. He helped Barcelona capture the EuroLeague championship in 2010 and the Liga ACB title in 2011.

He has played 12 years in the NBA with the Timberwolves, Jazz, Suns and Cavaliers.

Eastern Notes: Hawks, Quickley, Rubio, Celtics, Redick

May 10th, 2023 at 7:33pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hawks held pre-draft workouts with six college players on Thursday and will be hosting six more on Friday, the team announced (Twitter links).

Thursday’s group featured Alex Fudge (Florida), Logan Johnson (St. Mary’s), Matthew Mayer (Illinois), Kevin Obanor (Texas Tech), Antonio Reeves (Kentucky) and Hunter Tyson (Clemson), while Marcus Carr (Texas), Kendric Davis (Memphis), Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton), Landers Nolley (Cincinnati), Drew Peterson (USC) and Erik Stevenson (West Virginia) will be working out tomorrow.

Of the players mentioned, only Evbuomwan — who helped lead the 15th-seeded Tigers to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament — appears on ESPN’s top-100 prospects list ahead of the draft; he’s considered a fringe second-round pick at No. 77. The Hawks control the 15th and 46th overall picks in June’s draft.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Trailing 3-1 and facing playoff elimination tonight, the Knicks will be without Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Immanuel Quickley for the second straight game due to a left ankle sprain, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters, including Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Thibodeau did say the third-year guard’s injury has improved, but obviously not enough to play. He’s still considered day-to-day, Begley adds. Reserve guard Evan Fournier (illness) will also be sidelined, per the Knicks (Twitter link) — the veteran has yet to play this postseason.
Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio didn’t have the season he was hoping for after returning from his second left ACL tear, but he and the team are hoping for better results in 2023/24, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Sources tell Fedor the Cavs are encouraging Rubio to play in this summer’s World Cup for Spain, but the veteran hasn’t made a decision on that front. “I think it will help,” Rubio said. “I’m going to meet with my team, my personal team, see what’s the best for me in rehab. I think I’ve got to get more even strength on my lower legs, lower body and see what’s the best for me. I always want to compete up. The World Cup is something special as well. But I will take my time.”
Former NBA veteran JJ Redick, who is now an ESPN analyst, recently interviewed for Toronto’s head coaching job. The Celtics are among “several teams” that have shown interest in hiring Redick as an assistant coach since he retired a couple years ago, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Central Notes: Bucks, Cavaliers, Brooks, Vucevic

May 6th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Since the Bucks dismissed Mike Budenholzer on Thursday, we haven’t heard much about which head coaching candidates the team may be eyeing to replace him. Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Countdown on Friday (YouTube video link), Adrian Wojnarowski said he thinks Milwaukee can afford to be patient and perhaps wait for more teams to be eliminated from the playoffs in case a veteran coach employed by one of those clubs becomes available.

“Is there a coach or two who either becomes free with the team they’re at or there’s a conversation to be had with a team about a potential coach?” Wojnarowski said. “Because this is a Bucks team with Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s an incredibly attractive job.”

It’s unclear which coaches Wojnarowski might be referring to. There was some speculation entering the postseason that Nuggets coach Michael Malone could be on the hot seat if Denver exited the playoffs quickly, but Malone’s club has looked pretty good so far.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com doesn’t expect the Cavaliers to view free agent forward Dillon Brooks as a good fit, arguing that Cleveland’s defense is good enough to win in the playoffs and observing that Brooks is a “half-court liability” on offense, where the team needs to improve. Fedor names Kelly Oubre, Donte DiVincenzo, Harrison Barnes, Max Strus, and several other players as more logical free agent targets.
Among the burning questions facing the Cavaliers this summer will be whether or not they bring back Caris LeVert and what Ricky Rubio‘s role will be going forward, says Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.
The fact that the Bulls didn’t trade Nikola Vucevic at February’s trade deadline signals that they probably intend to re-sign him this offseason, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who believes Vucevic’s price will be at least $18MM per year or so.

Cavaliers Notes: Allen, Garland, Bench, Mitchell

March 11th, 2023 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

A right eye injury that Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen suffered in Friday’s loss at Miami may not be as bad as the team originally feared, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Allen walked to the locker room with a towel over his eye after being swiped by Bam Adebayo during a battle for a rebound late in the fourth quarter. He’s listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game at Charlotte, but a source told Fedor that the eye “looked better than expected,” adding that Allen will “hopefully be back sooner rather than later.”

In his game story Friday night, Fedor asked coach J.B. Bickerstaff what a prolonged absence for Allen would mean to a team that’s battling to hang onto home-court advantage in the playoffs.

“Obviously, we would miss him,” Bickerstaff said. “We would miss all the things that he brings on both sides of the court. His ability to protect the paint, anchor our defense and just his spirit. Everyone would have to step up. A lot of that would put Evan (Mobley) at more of the 5 spot and he would have to take over those responsibilities. But we believe Evan is capable of doing so and we have other guys who can help as well. It’ll be opportunities for other guys to go and contribute, which is what they will want to do.”

There’s more on the Cavaliers:

A quad injury that forced Darius Garland to miss the game in Miami is considered minor, but it could prevent him from playing again Sunday, Fedor adds. Garland suffered the injury in the second half of Wednesday’s game and wasn’t able to take part in the team’s shootaround or his pregame workout on Friday.
The Cavaliers agreed to a buyout with Kevin Love because he fell out of their rotation, but Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes that several prominent bench players haven’t been as productive since Love left. Dean Wade, Caris LeVert, Ricky Rubio and Cedi Osman are all playing fewer minutes than their season averages and have struggled to contribute since the buyout occurred.
Playing two straight games in Miami allowed the Cavaliers to experience something close to a playoff atmosphere, per Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Cleveland won on Wednesday and the teams had an off day to make adjustments before playing again Friday. “That’s what the playoffs are going to be,” said Donovan Mitchell, one of just two Cavs starters with playoff experience. “If this was a playoff series, we still won one, and that’s kind of the mindset.”

Central Notes: Bulls, Cavaliers, Mitchell, Bucks

February 28th, 2023 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls entered a road back-to-back on a two-game winning streak. They’re still very much in the play-in tournament hunt and coach Billy Donovan said there’s been no discussion about going into tank mode to improve their draft status, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I’ve never had a situation from ownership, front office, that said, ‘Listen, we’ve got an opportunity to potentially manipulate or get a higher draft pick. Let’s sit these guys. Let’s play the younger guys and give them an opportunity.’ That’s never taken place,” the Bulls head coach said. “So. I respect that and appreciate that, because I do think that when you line up and play there’s an integrity, and even to the fans, you’re out there trying to win.’’

We have more Central Division news:

Ricky Rubio and Caris LeVert are the only Cavaliers reserves who can count on a rotation spot during the postseason, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff anticipates an eight- or nine-man rotation and those last two spots could be in flux. “Eight, nine will probably be the most,” Bickerstaff said. “It could depend on our opponent and what we need in the moment. Four of the five starters I think are going to end up playing heavy minutes.”
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell had 35 points as the team snapped a three-game losing streak by pounding Toronto on Sunday. Mitchell and Bickerstaff had a meeting prior to the game in which the coach implored his star shooting guard to set the tone, Fedor writes. “When a coach and you have that talk, you kind of have to go out there and get to it,” Mitchell said.
The impending transfer of ownership in the Bucks’ franchise won’t have a financial impact on the team this season, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, new owner Jimmy Haslam could be on the hook for part of this season’s luxury tax bill if the transfer occurs before the end of the league’s awards season.

Central Notes: Mitchell, Rubio, Bucks, Bogdanovic

January 25th, 2023 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell returned from a three-game absence on Tuesday after dealing with a left groin strain, but unfortunately he aggravated the injury on the final play of the loss to New York, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“I went up to try and dunk it, both my legs cramped and my groin just tightened up and locked up on me,” Mitchell explained. “Those three things happened at the same time.”

The 26-year-old – who didn’t practice on Wednesday, per Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link) – was unsure of his status going forward.

“I felt it a little (earlier in the game) but nothing to the extent at the end,” he continued. “We’ll figure it out and see what happens. It felt the same as before. I don’t know what comes next. I am just upset that it … I felt good enough to come back, and for that to be the last five seconds of the game really pisses me off. … I’m praying that I’m all right.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

While Ricky Rubio admits that he’s still readjusting to the speed of the NBA game following his year-long rehab from an ACL tear, the Cavaliers point guard said he feels “the best I’ve felt in my career,” according to Russo at The Athletic.
Eric Nehm of The Athletic takes stock of how Bobby Portis‘ knee injury will impact the Bucks, exploring whether the team has enough depth on its roster to get by without the big man for a few weeks. If Serge Ibaka remains away from the Bucks, they’ll likely have to lean more on small-ball lineups when Brook Lopez is off the floor, Nehm observes.
Within a look at Khris Middleton‘s return and the Bucks‘ championship aspirations, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports confirms that the team remains “very much in play” for Suns forward Jae Crowder. However, Goodwill says he gets the sense that Milwaukee’s offer is its offer and that the Bucks will be prepared to pivot if Phoenix moves Crowder elsewhere.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reacts to hypothetical Bojan Bogdanovic trade offers from a handful of his fellow writers at The Athletic, evaluating whether or not the Pistons would view them as viable. Edwards ultimately passes on all five offers he receives in the exercise, since none include a first-round pick that isn’t at least lottery-protected, and Detroit wants an unprotected pick.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Love, Rubio, Garland

January 18th, 2023 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell won’t be available for an inter-conference showdown in Memphis on Wednesday night, having been officially ruled out due to a left groin strain, per an Associated Press report.

Mitchell suffered the injury during the third quarter of Cleveland’s win over New Orleans on Monday and was held out of practice on Tuesday. He was originally listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game vs. the Grizzlies before being downgraded to out.

It remains to be seen whether Mitchell will have to miss more time beyond tonight’s contest. The Cavs have a challenging back-to-back set on tap for this weekend, as they’ll host Golden State on Friday and Milwaukee on Saturday.

Here’s more on the Cavs:

Cavaliers forward Kevin Love continues to be affected by a hairline fracture in his right thumb, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com details. At the time Love sustained the injury, on November 18, he had made 40.9% of his three-point attempts on the season. Since then, he has knocked down just 29.5%. “Still doesn’t feel right,” Love said on Monday after making just 1-of-7 shots from the field, including 0-of-4 threes.
Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said prior to Monday’s game that Ricky Rubio‘s minutes restriction would be bumped up to about 15 minutes as the team continues to monitor his return from a year-long ACL-related absence, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Rubio, who played 10 minutes in his first game back and 13 in his second appearance, ended up logging 17 minutes on Monday.
The Cavs like what they’ve seen this season from Darius Garland, who has adjusted nicely to sharing the backcourt with Mitchell and continues to grow as a team leader, Russo writes in a full story for The Athletic. “He’s still young — more years ahead of him than he has behind him,” Caris LeVert said of his teammate. “But I think he’s done a great job of feeling it out and not being afraid to put his voice out there, not being afraid to make mistakes even with communication. I think for us to just hear his voice is huge because, obviously, we all respect his game. So just for us to hear his voice is huge.”